The door opened, and Tessa’s thoughts were jolted back to the present when the man she had just been thinking about entered the room.
“Are you ready?” Sam asked. There was no humor, certainly nothing remotely suggestive about his manner, but Tessa couldn’t stop the faintest tinge of uneasiness when her eyes met his. He wore dark slacks, a light green shirt, and a black jacket. No tie, she noticed, but this really wasn’t an occasion where formal dress was required. His dark hair was too long, and his gray eyes were piercing. It bothered her that she even noticed these physical characteristics of his. What did she really know about Sam McQuade? He’d been Joel’s friend since college, loyal to the company, but other than that, she really didn’t know Sam all that well. He’d been to their house dozens of times, yet she couldn’t recall his ever bringing a date to any of the functions she and Joel hosted. It didn’t matter anyway. She stopped thinking about past interactions with Sam and turned her attention to the here and now.
Tessa nodded and felt a wash of relief when she had no physical reaction to him as he stood next to where she sat. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him, and said, “I’m not sure how one is supposed to act at a time like this, but I’m more than ready to find out.” When she stood, the weight of her new clothes suddenly felt heavy and scratchy against her skin. After more than ten years in which her only attire was an orange jumpsuit that had softened with time, she almost wished she were allowed to bring her familiar, comfortable clothing with her. But not only did she know that wasn’t allowed, but more important, doing so would be a bad way to get started on what she hoped would be the first stages of her new life as a free woman.
“I must warn you, your release is being reported on by all the major news networks, and there are several local network trucks sitting outside the prison. They’ll hurl questions at you, but don’t answer. Lee is here, and he will take their questions. Just do your best to ignore them. They all want to be the first one to—” Sam stopped talking for a couple of seconds, then went on. “They’ll want to hear in your own words how you feel about having your conviction overturned, about facing a new trial, and about being released on bail although you are still under arrest for three murders. Don’t react, because if you do, it will be the lead story on the six o’clock news. Stay close to me, okay?”
It wasn’t as though she had any choice in the matter. “Of course,” she said. “Is there another exit we can use?” she asked, even though she knew that there wasn’t. The freed-convict walk to freedom was always the same; she knew this from being on the inside for so long. But if there were the slightest chance there was another way out, she wanted to know.
“This is it, I’m afraid. As soon as the warden gives us the word, we’ll leave. I have a car and driver waiting.”
Tessa felt like a true criminal, being whisked out of prison, all eyes on her, all the TV reporters waiting to catch her first moment of freedom on camera. Even though her new freedom might only be temporary, it was still hot news. It was not every day that the person who had committed the most heinous crime of the century so far in Florida was released from prison. Yes, this was big news all right.
Warden Kathryn Ryce entered the room with her usual air of self-confidence. Only one of three female wardens in the state of Florida, she took pride in her position, and while Tessa had no great liking for the woman, she had always treated the warden with respect, and Warden Ryce had always responded accordingly. She was dressed as usual: a dark blazer with a dark skirt and low-heeled shoes, and her auburn hair was pulled into a tight bun. She wore no makeup, but Tessa always thought her an attractive woman in a very plain way. High cheekbones, a full mouth, brown eyes, she was not the angry female many of the inmates claimed her to be. She did her job, and Tessa respected that.
The warden went to the small desk in the corner of the room and picked through a large stack of papers. When she found what she was looking for, she spoke. “Ms. Jamison, I need your signature here.” She pointed to a space on the bottom of a legal-sized sheet of paper. “This is an inmate’s release form. You may take the time to read through it if you wish, but Mr. Whitlow assured me that he has already gone over all the instructions with you.”
Tessa nodded, took the paper, and signed it. She knew its contents. Rules to live by once she walked out
